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Tag: AMR

Peak Season Robot Picks Surge

Posted on by David Priestman

Locus Robotics, a market leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for fulfilment warehouses, released its annual Cyber Week recap announcing a record-breaking 331 million units picked globally on behalf of its retail and third-party logistics partners, a 66% increase over last year.

LocusBots picked almost 7 million average daily units, an increase of 107% vs. 2022.

“We are thrilled to have delivered another record-breaking peak shopping season for our customers. The 66% increase in units picked compared to last year shows the growing demand for warehouse automation and the proven scalability of the Locus solution,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “As online shopping continues to accelerate, our intelligent robots enable customers to keep pace while also optimising productivity.”

According to Adobe Analytics data, shoppers spent more than $38 billion in total online global sales from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday was the largest online shopping day in history with $12.4 billion in sales, a 9.6% increase. Mobile shopping continues its continued upwards trajectory, representing 54% of all online orders in 2023, a 10.4% increase over 2022.

Locus has now picked more than 2.5 billion units worldwide, with the last million picks taking just 26 days compared to its first million which took more than 1,500 days.

2023 Peak Season insights:

• The holiday shopping period began earlier, expanding to several weeks with retailers starting sales events as early as late-September to lure consumers to shop early.
• Online shopping is here to stay as the convenience and ease of use of online ordering is driving growth across not just retail, but all business channels, including B2B and industrial.
• Mobile has become the shopping mode of choice with more than 54% of all orders in 2023 made via mobile apps, up 10.4% vs. 2022.
• The labour shortage is still a concern: Recruiting and retaining workers continues to be a concern for bricks-and-mortar retailers, warehouses, and transportation. Collaborative robotic automation has become a necessity required to meet the constantly increasing volume of orders.

With more consumers choosing to shop online, Locus has proven to be a valued resource for helping retailers and 3PL operators seamlessly scale to meet and exceed the growing volume demands today, and into the future.

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5000 Locus AMRs Deployed by DHL

 

Find your Warehouse Rhythm

Posted on by David Priestman

Koerber Supply Chain’s ‘Elevate’ event in Prague was an opportunity to discover how software and technology address the unprecedented complexity in logistics. David Priestman reports.
End-to-end connectivity, digitization and visibility are the goals for many supply chain managers. Multinational corporations generally consider supply chains to be ‘mission critical’ nowadays. A supply chain is a collaborative function, but only as strong as its weakest link. While major suppliers like Koerber provide warehouse automation, warehouse management software (WMS), order management systems (OMS) and much more, however, it is estimated that one third of warehouses still operate manually.

Michael Brandl, Executive VP EMEA for Koerber Supply Chain, told the conference that the company’s objective is to become the global supply chain management (SCM) leader. Reporting a revenue increase of 27%, 117 new customers and a 20% rise in staff over the last year, he is bullish, unveiling two new product lines: Transport Spend Optimisation and OMS. Emphasizing the importance of adaptability, reliability, speed and cost in project management, he forecasts further growth in retail micro-fulfilment, challenges in recruiting and retaining warehouse workers and a need to improve environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes for customers. A ‘unified control system’ to orchestrate and optimise supply chain technology, IT and staff is Brandl’s vision.

More than a Game

“Koerber aim to help our customers keep their consumers happy and be repeat buyers,” Sean Elliott, EVP and Chief Technology Officer told me. “The line between success and failure is as thin as a cardboard box.”

One new concept is supply chain ‘gamification’. Koerber, together with Vaibe, provides a solution based on success psychology and reward recognition, comprising game-design elements in the workplace and incorporates rewards, challenges, leader-boards and feedback. “How do I make work a game?” Elliott said. “If people have fun they work harder. The more gamification there is in workers’ experience the more engaged the staff are.” This could reduce absenteeism and increase retention rates. It can be integrated into any application – such as in voice-directed technology, where staff much prefer to be hands-free and have less screen time.

“We are not a house of brands,” Anton Du Preez, EVP Sales EMEA stated. After a plethora of acquisitions, which might not be complete, including HighJump, Inconso, Voiteq, Cirrus, Aberle, Langhammer, Univeyor, Efacec and Siemens’ parcel conveyors, the Koerber name is the only one used, specifically Koerber Supply Chain. “We intend to be a supply chain champion globally,” he declared. The company is looking to extend its software offerings to include planning and more TMS (transport management). “We help move boxes, so planning and transport are key areas of interest to us,” Du Preez said.

Orchestration Conquers Complexity

Supply chains have become more complex in recent years and there are many ways in which that is being tackled: nearshoring, increasing inventory, ‘Just-in-case’ instead of JIT, better energy and natural resource management, optimising packaging use and structural changes to reduce the demand for labour.

“If you’re not investing in robots now you’re already behind the market,” Du Preez declared. Robots typically are replacing unavailable staff, he explained; the ones warehouses cannot find to hire, rather than existing staff. “Warehouse employees enjoy working with bots and automation improves safety,” he added. “There will be consolidation in AMRs and robots. While there’s a need for a variety of types of robot the advantage of the integrator is that they have all the capability and can choose the best subsystem technology, then orchestrate it.”

I asked Du Preez to comment on other key trends in automation. “How to go higher, more vertical is one. The space above 2m is under-used. We can solve this with our solution and robotics. Another issue is the friction between WMS and TMS. Which has priority when an order comes in?” Koerber is trying to find faster outcomes and responsiveness. The company’s IT solutions create demand for its automated materials handling products and vice-versa. “All large projects need software,” he told me, “we have the first referral for the automation.”

What about the notion of the ‘dark warehouse’? “It can work in specific use cases, but I’ve yet to see it going mainstream,” Du Preez responded. “It’s a niche. You run into the challenge of fixed automation and a long ROI. What if there are big changes necessary? You could have too rigid a solution. AMRs are more flexible. We can move the bots to a new site. Not having a ‘warehouse manager’ isn’t practical.”

Elliott added more detail to the concept of ‘orchestration’. “With AMR 1.0 most vendors have a variation in travel time. Orchestration is version 2.0 – dwell time is optimised. How does software make humans work better? What’s the waiting time? When does it make sense to use different brands? One AMR can be better for high SKU DCs, one for low. The integrator is neutral, so as to make the fleet better. Complex sites with multiple warehouse control systems (WCS) not communicating can be improved with one WCS from us. This provides visibility, for example if there’s a blockage we stop the next process.”

Tech Trends

Will conveyors continue to play a key role in warehousing? “The volumes to move around are huge, that would take a lot of robots to move it, especially for pallets and with the collision systems in place,” Du Preez explained. “Conveyors can have just inch gaps, rather than metres. They provide scalability and do the heavy moving. So conveyor usage will continue, but using fewer spurs to the aisles, where the AMRs are good. A ‘stabilisation of conveyance’ will happen. Table-top bots provide an alternative to some sortation and specialist sorters like tilt-tray and shoe-sorters are expensive and not so scalable.”

Koerber’s spokespeople expressed interest in new technologies such as gripper robotics and vision tech. AI, of course, is high on the agenda. It will be utilised in many forms and places. “We must give customers immediate value, for example by using AI for slotting (where to store each product), then expand it product-by-product,” Elliott told me. “Generative AI can query the WMS.”
“AMRs are in a ‘hype cycle’ right now,” Du Preez continued. Koerber have been integrating them for five years. They do what’s necessary, achieving throughput efficiency and we have high confidence in them. There has been a gold rush of entrants to the AMR market so we can evaluate the case studies. But it’s not a big value-add. They have been commoditised, software is more important. AMRs are never used in isolation. The DC is a flow, you have to take into account the whole solution. Dwell time is the key KPI.”

Cost per pick is the value proposition that Koerber are putting forward. “A Unified Control System (UCS) is critical,” Elliott concluded. “Technology solves each piece of the project, but that can lead to fragmentation without a UCS. Customers have the all-consuming job of running their facility. We need a healthy ecosystem of tech and the implementation.”

No Warehouse Left Behind

Posted on by David Priestman

Re-brands are sensitive and critical operations and the warehouse automation sector is no exception. David Priestman attended the launch of Movu Robotics in Belgium, late September.
“Automate, in a easy way, the distribution centres of our customers. Democratise automation.” This is the mission statement espoused by Jos de Vuyst, CEO of stow Group, at the launch of Movu Robotics, formerly known as stow Robotics. With a large existing client base for its racking, storage, silo and rack clad products stow Group is well-positioned to sell and integrate robotics and automation technology. It can scale-up fast.

The company wants to help these facilities transition to automated operations, thereby not leaving any warehouse behind in the darkening warehouses of the future. “Plug and play, dense, low-energy usage systems with fast deployment,” is the offering, according to de Vuyst. Automation provides a productivity boost and is scalable, with no need for new warehouse infrastructure.

The rationale for a new brand name – Movu – is because the ‘stow’ name is perhaps too associated with rack and storage – traditional materials handling. Disconnecting from this and switching to a ‘catchy’ new brand fits the mission statement. Employing more than 300 employees by the end of this year across Europe and the US, Movu Robotics expects order intake of more than €300 million in 2023.

The Movu Robotics portfolio comprises automated storage, picking and transport for pallets, bins and items, offering an easy buying journey, competitive pricing, cost savings, quick delivery, high density storage and space optimisation. The portfolio allows end customers and integrators globally to benefit from a seamless and user-friendly warehouse automation ecosystem.

The portfolio includes:
• ‘Movu atlas’ – Pallet shuttle for multiple deep storage
• ‘Movu ifollow’ – slimline AMR for collaborative picking or transport of pallets, made near Paris. A unique selling point of ifollow is that it works in deep freeze areas of a warehouse.
• ‘Movu escala’ – Robotised 3D storage and fulfilment system without lifts
• ‘Movu eligo’ – Integrated picking robot arm
All Movu systems are controlled and managed via their own warehouse execution software (WES).

The impressive, iconic headquarters in Lokeren, situated between Antwerp and Ghent, combines modern offices with manufacturing operations for atlas and escala robots (500 per week) under a single roof. There is also an experience centre – one of the biggest in Europe – where the latest technologies are showcased live to customers and partners. One factor in choosing its location is the desire to partner with local Universities to recruit young engineers.

I asked de Vuyst to describe the journey taken by stow Group leading to the launch of Movu Robotics:
“Since 1987 stow Group has grown rapidly into a €1 billion global company that today ranks among the top two racking manufacturers in the world. Originally a family-owned company, then owned by Kardex for a decade, a management buyout in 2013 was backed by private equity funding. The racking business of stow stands out in the sector by having a production footprint spanning Europe with 10 racking factories and a network of 20 sales companies giving direct access to, and close contact with, the customer. Our racking solutions are customised around standard products, enabling us to have highly automated factories. This results in stow being a cost leader as well as fast growing and very profitable.

“stow Robotics was born the day we started writing Warehouse Control Software (WCS). We are now developing our own WES suite and control software on the machines, which we build ourselves. We will not develop our own WMS as it is too complex. We are evolving into a supplier that can provide an automated pallet warehouse, from a small scale operation up to large projects. The investment climate is softening a bit, big investment decisions are taking a bit longer, due to high interest rates.”

Will we see ‘Dark Warehouses’ (without workers)?

“I’m a big fan in principle. The ideal is racks and robotics, but you must go high. Labour is disruptive, people often hate working in warehouses. Forklift usage is falling, as will conveyor coverage and manual picking. We have the products to achieve a dark warehouse via four or five main technologies.”

How is Movu Robotics positioned in the market?

“We expect double-digit growth. The global material handling equipment market size is forecasted to reach $350 billion by 2030, driven by AS/RS systems and robotics. By our Movu Robotics positioning and portfolio we are very confident of becoming an essential player in this market. Movu Robotics will follow the same development path as stow Racking, so we will build a network of sales companies in the main territories allowing us both channels to the market: direct and through integrators – not just to new customers, like competitors do.

“Where many companies are built around one automation product, we have an integrated ecosystem of scalable, automated warehouse solutions for pallets and bins. That’s quite rare, and the portfolio will continue to grow. We will take a deep dive into some vertical markets and develop specific automation products for particular sectors. One trend is third party logistics operators beginning to automate. We’re strong in cold stores, pharmaceuticals and food logistics.

“We want to offer the possibility of automation to SMEs that have a few thousand pallet locations. While bigger projects are generally more complex, a straight forward pallet project of, for example, 80,000 pallet locations requiring 60 shuttles has a low complexity and fits our profile. If, however, that same warehouse had sorters, a mix of complex software and machines we don’t have in our portfolio, then we’d defer to a systems integrator.” Movu does not offer robots-as-a-service as the company offers a broad range or solution.

Supermarket of Materials Handling

How do the business units in stow Group benefit from each other?

“stow Racking and Movu Robotics together are a unique one-stop-shop with proven interfaces that combines best of racking and robotics. Sales is another of the most important synergies between stow Racking and Movu Robotics, with many leads for automation coming via the racking side, which has 10,000 customers across Europe and US. Many of these customers take the decision at some point to automate their operations. stow Racking has more than 200 sales people globally, which also bring leads for robotics and automation products.

“Movu Robotics benefits from having the strength of stow Group behind it, with all of its management experience and expertise. Another important factor is the backing of Blackstone, a private equity company with a vast experience in logistic real estate, who are very supportive. Also, stow Racking activity successfully generates cash, fuelling growth in Movu Robotics without the need for continual equity rounds.”

How does the company’s culture drive development?

“While stow Group has become a large organisation, with a well organised corporate structure, it still has the dynamics of an SME company. We have direct contact with our people through a relatively flat management structure, which gives an agility and dynamism that is popular with our customers. This allows us to attract talent to support our know-how in engineering, software and other departments. Joining Movu Robotics is more akin to working in a start-up than a corporate environment. While enjoying an agile environment, staff also gain the support of being in a solid company.”

Where do you see the stow Group and Movu Robotics in five years?

“stow Group will continue to grow the racking business, we will definitely not lose interest in the racking business. Racking is an essential and profitable part of the Group, so it is important that it continues to grow. Having established stow as a racking market leader in Europe, with approx. 30% market share, we started to build the US business over the past 18 months, where there is huge potential. We have created a sales office in Chicago and have just taken the decision to build our first racking plant in the US – the location is not yet fixed. With strong sales in this market, it no longer makes practical sense to ship containers of racking across the Atlantic. We’re not excluding the Asian market later on in the future, just not now.

“Of course, we will continue to grow Movu Robotics. While entering the market with systems that are easier, standardised, scalable, and flexible, in the next five years we will be tackling more complicated projects. I think in five years’ time, Movu Robotics’ activity will be equivalent to, or even exceed, that of stow Racking, creating two very strong legs for the stow Group.”

What about further acquisitions and new products?

“Coming from a manufacturing background, doing things ourselves is in our DNA. We will develop our own technologies as much as possible, only seeking partnerships when we don’t have the time to develop them ourselves. For example, it makes no sense to start developing vision technology on our own. In such cases we will partner with an appropriate supplier or licence it in. AMRs with forks or for bins and gripping technology are interesting. The sales side is different because we want to grow as fast as possible and whilst we are developing our own sales network are open to work together if we find a good partners for specific regions.”

Robotics Automation Company Launches

Posted on by David Priestman

Autrix, a new robotic automation company, launched this month with the mission of making automation accessible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK. Formed from leaders in the robotics space and talent from automation companies, Autrix aims to enable SMEs to compete globally through increased efficiency, productivity and innovation.

Autrix provides end-to-end automation services, from initial conversations about automation potential to installation and ongoing optimisation of automated systems. With a strong software focus, Autrix offers strategic guidance to help businesses determine how and where to implement automation to best support their growth.

“SMEs are the backbone of the UK economy, yet many struggle to keep up with larger competitors that have already invested heavily in automation,” said Joe Daft, Managing Director and Founder of Autrix. “We started Autrix to give these smaller players a fighting chance, with automation solutions tailored to their needs and budgets along with the expertise to help them benefit as much as possible.”

The leadership team at Autrix brings decades of experience in delivering solutions within the SME space. By exclusively focusing on SMEs, Autrix can offer customised and cost-effective automation services that allow these companies to achieve quick wins, foster innovation, and gain a competitive edge.

“Automation is key to the future of manufacturing and business in general, but the resources required have put it out of reach for most SMEs until now,” said Ian Shay, Co-Founder of Autrix and Director of L&S Engineers. “With Autrix, SMEs across the UK finally have an automation partner invested in their success”.

With locations strategically located throughout the UK, Autrix is well positioned to serve SMEs nationwide. In Birmingham, Autrix operates a live automated warehouse and service centre where technology partners can demonstrate solutions. The Lincoln office focuses on designing custom automation systems and software to meet specific customer needs. Autrix works with best-of-breed technology partners including Hikrobot, VisionNav and ProGlove to provide SMEs with automated mobile robots (AMRs), robotic arms, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), smart gloves and more.

By bundling technologies from multiple vendors, Autrix can provide SMEs with integrated automation systems from single robotic solutions to large deployments of 50+ AMRs tailored to their needs at a lower cost than purchasing from individual technology providers.

Autrix’s dedication to democratising automation for SMEs through their tailored solutions, strategic guidance, and commitment to success positions itself as a valuable partner for SMEs seeking to thrive in an increasingly competitive global market. Autrix is set to empower SMEs with the knowledge, confidence and tools they need to embrace automation and unlock their full potential.

Robotics and AI Deployed in Bucharest DC

Posted on by David Priestman

Dexory has announced today that their global partnership with Maersk is expanding into the Maersk and iB Cargo managed site in Romania, a distribution centre for a top home furnishing brand globally. The Bucharest deployment is the first of many outside of the UK to go live with the innovative technology, as part of the company’s expansion across Europe.

A. P. Moller – Maersk & iB Cargo operate a major distribution and logistics centre in Romania, serving one of the largest global furniture and interior decoration companies. For the first time in Romania, the two partners announce the deployment of Dexory’s technology and robots, in order to maximise and streamline the use of the centre, optimise its resources and shelf space.

The warehouse operated by A.P. Moller – Maersk & iB Cargo opened in September 2021 with 76,000 sqm, and less than 2 years later, it expanded to 100,000 sqm, offering customised logistics solutions and serving 8 countries in Europe and the Balkans. The unit is located in the CTPark Bucharest West industrial park and is BREEAM certified.

The robot called ‘NEO’ operates daily at the site in Bolintin-Deal, Romania, scanning over 100,000 pallet locations – allowing operations to move from 150 locations/h, with the current processes, to 10,000 locations/h via automation. It covers wide, narrow and hard to navigate aisles, reserve and picking locations – which is a time-consuming and prone to human error process, integrating into the day-to-day warehouse operations, working alongside the warehouse teams 24/7.

Dexory, the logistics start-up founded by Andrei Danescu, Oana Jinga and Adrian Negoita in London, is already working with Maersk in the UK and Ireland. This expansion into new territories is a great enabler of Maersk’s commitment to integrating new technologies as well as to sustainability.

Dexory’s unique solution combines hardware and software to provide instant visibility into inventory and operations at the click of a button. Using 12-metre-tall autonomous robots to capture warehouse data and images in real-time, the revolutionary digital twin technology enables instant analysis of stock, occupancy and stock movement.

The digital twin then offers instant access to the data captured, highlighting any discrepancies with other warehouse systems in an intuitive, easy-to-access digital format. The analytics extracted address operational bottlenecks, increase efficiencies (allowing for faster put-away and picking) and unlock powerful insights into site operations (for real-time occupancy fluctuation, route planning) – all of which used to be manually done before. Using AI it then provides companies with information to forecast and plan more accurately across their warehouse estate and have smarter management of their workforce.

Andrei Danescu, Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder of Dexory comments: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Maersk and iB Cargo and bring the power of real-time data and insights to this impressive site in Romania, supporting a powerful company in interior decorations. Teams across the board have already embraced the Dexory technology and are constantly using our digital twin to make more informed decisions and drive efficiency.”

“Our business model is about long-term partnerships. We build them through quality, integrity and bringing added value to our clients’ businesses through innovative solutions at every level.”, shared Cătălin Putineanu, Founder and Managing Partner of iB Cargo.

Dragos Dumitrescu Country Manager Maersk Romania, “Maersk remains steadfast in its unwavering commitment to implementing cutting-edge technology across its operations, reinforcing its position as an industry leader at the forefront of innovation. Embracing the latest advancements, Maersk continues to drive efficiency, enhance sustainability, and deliver exceptional value to its customers while shaping the future of global trade”.

Fortna and Geek+ Partner for Order Fulfilment

Posted on by David Priestman

FORTNA, a leading automation and software company for the full logistics value chain, is thrilled to announce a global strategic partnership with Geek+, a leader in mobile robotics solutions for logistics. The partnership marks a significant milestone in the industry, as two industry leaders join forces to transform the way companies approach order fulfilment, bringing the revolutionary goods-to-person and mobile sortation systems developed by Geek+ to FORTNA customers.

FORTNA is collaborating with Geek+ to create customized solutions tailored to the unique needs of their customers. This partnership will empower businesses to streamline operations, reduce costs and enhance overall efficiency in order fulfilment.

Through the global partnership, multiple projects are already in different stages of deployment in both the United States and the EMEA region, including major robotic installations for several large retailers in the sports and home appliances sectors as well as innovations in goods-to-person sortation systems. These robotic systems enable customers to add flexibility to their operations while increasing throughput and creating a more positive workplace for their warehouse employees.

Key benefits of this partnership include:

1) Enhanced Efficiency: FORTNA’s extensive industry knowledge will be complemented by Geek+’s state-of-the-art robotics technology, creating highly efficient and adaptable automated solutions. Mobile robotic systems have more than double the average order picking and sorting throughput.
2) Scalability: The collaboration will offer businesses scalable solutions that can grow with their needs, ensuring they remain competitive in an ever-changing marketplace.
3) Optimized Warehouse Operations: By integrating advanced robotics into warehouse operations, customers can significantly improve order accuracy, storage utilization and reduce labor costs. Integrated directly into FORTNA WES™ software, Geek+’s robotics offerings now benefit from order priority adjustments in real-time, enabling businesses to adapt to operational changes more effectively. By coordinating work activities in concert with Geek+’s offerings, FORTNA WES™ is also able to assign tasks to the best-fit automation at the optimal time for further throughput improvements while reducing the cost to pick.
4) Increased Customer Satisfaction: Faster and more accurate order fulfillment will lead to improved consumer satisfaction, loyalty and retention.
5) A Better Workplace: Mobile robotics allow employees to focus on less strenuous tasks in a safer work environment, supporting businesses’ ESG commitments.

Both FORTNA and Geek+ are committed to innovation, sustainability and delivering solutions that align with the latest industry trends and regulations.

“Together with Geek+, we provide our customers with a competitive edge through the seamless integration of automation and robotics into their supply chain operations,” said Robert McKeel, Chief Executive Officer, FORTNA. “The partnership between FORTNA and Geek+ aims to accelerate supply chain automation, making it more efficient and cost-effective and increasing the timely delivery of goods to consumers.”

In a rapidly evolving e-Commerce landscape, the demand for efficient and scalable order fulfilment solutions has never been greater. FORTNA and Geek+ are dedicated to addressing these challenges head-on by combining their expertise to design, develop and implement cutting-edge automated robotic solutions.

Lit Fung, Vice President and Managing Director for International Business Geek+, also expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “The FORTNA and Geek+ partnership signifies another milestone in the robotics shake-up of order fulfilment automation. Companies seeking to enhance their supply chain operations can now leverage the combined expertise of these two industry leaders to achieve greater efficiency and competitiveness in the global marketplace.”

Locus Robotics’ Deals in Europe and Central America

Posted on by David Priestman

Locus Robotics, a market leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfilment warehouses, has increased its global presence with expansion across two continents.

In Europe, the US-based robotics supplier has announced an expanded commitment to Italy and Poland, while in Central America, lifestyle brand, Solo Brands has deployed the award-winning AI-enabled Locus AMR Solution at its fulfilment warehouse in Mexicali, Mexico. The deal represents Locus’s first AMR deployment there. Locus’s intelligent robots leverage innovative technology and artificial intelligence to optimise productivity, lower costs, and improve workplace ergonomics and quality for workers.

“We are thrilled to continue to expand Locus’s transformative warehouse automation solutions to Italy and Poland as we continue to grow our European footprint,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “Our continued investment underscores our dedication to supporting and growing with our partners in Italy and Poland. Locus enables customers in these countries to optimise productivity, efficiency, and accuracy in their facilities, boosting output 2-3X while lowering labour costs by 50% or more. As the pressure grows on supply chains, our intelligent robots enable companies to cost-effectively scale and stay competitive. We enable the future of smart warehouses.”

Building on Locus’s existing presence and initial sites in both regions, Locus is further investing in these markets to bring its award-winning AMR warehouse automation solution to even more customers.

In Mexico, Faulk said: “LocusBots work collaboratively alongside Solo Brands’ workers, enhancing productivity, improving safety, and helping drive operational excellence. We are delighted to join forces with Solo Brands to speed order picking, lower labour costs, and deliver an amazing experience for their customers.”

He added that in today’s fast-paced and competitive e-commerce landscape, efficient order fulfilment was a key driver of customer satisfaction. Solo Brands’ decision to team up with Locus Robotics underscores its commitment to optimising operational efficiency, reducing order processing times, and ensuring timely delivery to customers worldwide.

“We are excited to partner with Locus Robotics to revolutionize our order fulfilment operations,” said Brett Kulesza, Operations Vice President of Solo Brands. “The integration of these advanced AMRs will not only increase the speed and accuracy of our order processing but also empower our dedicated workforce to focus on higher-value tasks, further elevating our overall efficiency.”

Locus’s intelligent robots utilise cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and elevate workplace ergonomics and quality for workers. Locus Robotics’ innovative AMRs are designed to work collaboratively with human associates and easily scale up and down to meet fluctuating order volumes during peak and standard seasons.

Its flexible robotics-as-a-service subscription model provides customers with a fully managed solution covering bots, upgrades, maintenance, and support. By collaborating with human workers, Locus enhances productivity and fulfilment efficiency. Its award-winning technology, algorithms, and real-time analytics optimise warehouse layouts, reduce travel time, and boost accuracy – enabling faster processing and reduced costs.

Locus is currently deployed at more than 65 sites in Europe – including the UK, serving dozens of retail, ecommerce, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics customers. In August, Locus surpassed its 2 billionth pick globally, just 11 months after reaching the industry-first landmark of 1 billion picks.

“LocusBots have already helped our European customers in retail, e-commerce, healthcare, and logistics to significantly improve productivity and efficiency,” said Denis Niezgoda, Vice President, Eat Locus Robotics. “Our powerful and flexible AMR technology enables a wide range of businesses to easily meet today’s existing demand, seamlessly scale for future growth, and remain competitive within their industries.”
The AI and data science-driven LocusOne warehouse automation execution platform enables the smooth orchestration of multiple robotic form factors at enterprise-scale within a single coordinated platform.

It provides real-time optimisation of tasks to be completed within the four walls and across multiple levels in warehousing environments. LocusOne optimises task allocation, route planning, and resource use, while delivering real-time business insights into warehouse operations.

The Locus solution has won more than 27 industry awards, including the coveted IFOY award. Global businesses across industries like retail, ecommerce, logistics and 3PL have used Locus to pick more than 2 billion units worldwide with 99.99% accuracy. Locus AMRs easily deploy into existing warehouses and new greenfield sites without infrastructure changes or disrupting workflows. The Locus solution delivers a measurable return on investment (ROI) in just months vs. years.

Proven at enterprise scale, labour-challenged 3PL, retail, healthcare, and manufacturing operators can seamlessly add robots to increase capacity or meet growth in any operation in just minutes to optimize productivity in their operations, reduce costs, and stay competitive in the rapidly evolving fulfilment and e-commerce landscape. accuracy reinforcing the company’s position as the premier robotics provider for the warehouse and logistics industry.

Continental Acquires Mobile Robots System

Posted on by David Priestman

Continental has acquired Kinexon’s specialist division for on-board operating systems for the intelligent control of autonomous mobile robots (AMR), thereby strengthening its own position in the strategic growth field of mobile robotics. The core of the acquisition is the ‘Brain’ on-board operating system developed for the precise and networked control of autonomous mobile transport robots, including the IP rights to this market-leading and proven solution.

In addition, the division’s highly qualified development team is moving from KINEXON to Continental. Through this acquisition, Continental is expanding its own depth of value creation, extending its robotics expertise in software and hardware, and thus strengthening its own range of customer solutions for mobile robots. This will enable the company to further accelerate the introduction of new functionalities and the expansion of its product portfolio within robotics for intralogistics. Both companies have agreed not to disclose the purchase price or further details of the transaction.

“With this acquisition, we are enlarging our global development team and strengthening our system expertise in mobile robotics. We can offer robust mobile robot solutions that are proven in operations since years. A one-stop shop for our customers,” says Pierre Pomper, head of Continental Mobile Robots. “This step underlines our growth path for Continental Mobile Robots for a wide range of end markets.”

The successful partnership between KINEXON and Continental will continue after the acquisition of the on-board operating system ‘Brain’ for autonomous driving robots. In the robotics sector, KINEXON will focus in the future on the fast-growing area of centralized control for autonomous driving robots and further expand its software for fleet management. Continental offers its customers this intelligent fleet management software as an option for controlling the AMRs. “To meet the trend as well as the increasing demand of our customers, we want to focus 100 percent on our solution in the field of fleet management. The sale of AMR’s special division of on-board operating system for mobile robots ‘Brain’ helps us in this endeavour. We are proud to have developed a leading solution with ‘Brain’ and the team behind it. With this transaction, we are giving both a new home at Continental with promising prospects,” says Dr. Alexander Hüttenbrink, co-founder and co-CEO of KINEXON.

Autonomous, mobile transport robots optimize material handling

Continental has announced its entry into the intralogistics AMR market in 2021. Building on its experience in the automotive sector, the technology company has developed its own industrial solution that simplifies logistical workflows. After an internal test phase at Continental production sites worldwide, the AMRs are available for external market entry with improved and new functions as well as handling of new use cases. A major advantage here is the simple implementation and smooth operation in warehouse and production.

Survey Results: AGVs & AMRs – Read Now

Posted on by David Priestman

Logistics Business conducted a reader survey with BlueBotics on the usage of automated vehicles in the warehouse. The survey results have now been published and are available to read or download here.

The exclusive survey focused on AGVs, AMRs and automated forklifts, covering usage, navigation technology, tasks, challenges and purchasing.

Mobile robots and automation are transforming the way businesses operate by offering increased efficiency, cost savings and improved safety. But what are the potential opportunities and challenges associated with these technologies? And, what might happen next?

Survey Results

In this free report, we take an in-depth look at the current and future state of automated vehicles, covering topics such as:

A snapshot of the mobile robotics landscape today: why mobile robots are being adopted, and which vehicles are in use today; what goes into choosing the form factor of vehicles, and future fleet expansion; criteria when choosing an automated vehicle supplier, and defining what the vehicles will interact with on-site; key challenges when adopting automated vehicles – and how they’re paid for; defining the success of an automated vehicle programme.

We hope you find it useful and will be bringing you further surveys in future.

Mobile Robots Complete Pilot Project

Posted on by David Priestman

Oceaneering International, Inc. announces that its Oceaneering Mobile Robotics (OMR) business successfully completed a pilot project using its omnidirectional UniMover™ O 600 and UniMover™ D 100 underride robots at the ZEISS facility in Jena, Germany, in cooperation with Ingenics Consulting.

The pilot specially tested the mobile robot systems’ manoeuvrability, and obstacle avoidance features, as well as proved specific behaviours at the building’s fire doors. The project demonstrated OMR’s underride mobile robot capabilities and enabled Ingenics Consulting and ZEISS Group to assess their suitability for inclusion in the new, state-of-the-art facility currently under construction in Jena.

Installation, integration, and operation of the underride mobile robots occurred within a three-day period, during ongoing production at the current ZEISS Group facility in Jena. The trial seamlessly ran for one week alongside existing manual logistic processes.

ZEISS Group sought to gain preliminary experience with mobile robots in a dynamic environment that includes both automated transport and manual traffic. Responsible for developing the logistic processes in the new facility, Ingenics Consulting approached OMR on behalf of the ZEISS Group.

“In the planning of the new high-tech site in Jena, it was important for us to address the planned changes and use of innovation for ZEISS at an early stage and to involve the relevant partners,” said Benjamin Lehnort, Senior Project Engineer, Ingenics Consulting. “Through the ongoing communication with OMR in this pilot project, we were able to give the employees at ZEISS in Jena an impression of a mobile robotics system and, as a project team, gain valuable information for the further planning of the building and internal transport. Conducting the pilot in an operational area was particularly important to us in order to get as close as possible to the future environmental conditions.”

Lutz Lippmann, Project Manager, Carl Zeiss AG, said: “The project’s overarching objective was two-fold. We sought to introduce mobile robotics to our multiple business units and to test the underride robots in a dynamic environment with extensive manual transport, thereby assessing the optimal functionality of the mobile robot system. We are delighted that the pilot not only met but exceeded our expectations, with OMR successfully operating the mobile robots in our existing facility.”

Hendrik Hörisch, Branch Manager, Oceaneering Mobile Robotics GmbH, said: “We were able to show that our mobile robots for autonomous transport can be integrated into during an operational logistics process within a very short time without interrupting production or making structural changes to the building thanks to our infrastructure-free navigation technology. Furthermore, we were able to successfully give the employees of Carl Zeiss AG insight into the possibilities of mobile robotics and share an outlook on the potential logistical innovations at the ZEISS high-tech location in Jena.”

The planned new building in Jena serves as ZEISS’ founding location and the second-largest facility worldwide. ZEISS is constructing a building on 80,000 square meters where all development units, as well as a large part of the locally based production and administrative departments, will be located. The new location’s modernity and openness matches the high-tech and science-oriented city of Jena, due to the systems developed and manufactured there.

ZEISS Group’s new facility features state-of-the-art technology that will be used to transport dedicated material trolleys from the logistics area to the production areas on two levels. Integration of the OMR underride technology focuses on providing a flexible, reliable solution that improves efficiency in production and logistics.

OMR’s innovative underride mobile robots are equipped with infrastructure-free navigation based on BlueBotics’ Autonomous Navigation Technology (ANT). Within this one-week demonstration, ZEISS’ facility benefited from mobile robots equipped with the latest navigation technology backed by OMR’s 30+ years of experience in designing, manufacturing, and implementing autonomous mobile robotic solutions.

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